Just A Heartbeat Away
by Dystopian Visionary
Summary: Ok, I've got my comp up and running so I should have the next chapter up within a week. I know it's probably a little late, but *shrugs* what are ya gunna do?
1. The Longing

1 Chapter 1: The Longing  
  
The sun rose behind the hills, slowly casting its gentle orange glow over the kingdom of Fanelia. The mystic moon, visible high in the sky, seemed to help the sun in welcoming this brand new day in Gaea. Indeed, it was to be a very beautiful day.  
  
The sun's rays crept closer and closer to the royal palace, seeming to bring with it the awakening of the hustle and bustle of palace life. The earliest of the early were arising and soon the whole palace would be buzzing with people scurrying about, trying to finish their chores and prepare for the day ahead of them.  
  
It had been 7 years since the Great War with the Zaibach Empire, 7 years since those marvelous adventures with the girl from the mystic moon, 7 years since she had disappeared just as quickly as she'd come. Fanelia had been quick to recover from the repercussions of the war, as news of the defeat spread like wildfire all over Gaea and back again, bringing Fanelia's citizens racing back to their homeland, eager to begin anew.  
  
As the light of the sun crept even further, up the palace walls and shining into select windows on the east side of it, Merle awoke to the sound of the birds chirping their happy morning song. Stretching, she looked around from her perch on the roof and smiled to herself. Fanelia seemed to be blossoming in the morning light. Yawning, she roughly combed her claws through her bright pink hair, now long past her shoulders, and stood to greet the day. No sooner was she on her feet than she took off like a shot, scampering from rooftop to rooftop, not stopping even when she heard shouts of meddling servants below. She ignored them as she grasped the edge of one of the rooftops, swung herself down and inside an open window.  
  
'Lord Van sure is going to be disappointed he missed the sunrise,' she thought to herself as she continued running in her cat-like way out the door of the room and down a familiar hallway. 'There's just no pleasing him lately. What does such a cute kitty like me have to do to make him lighten up?'  
  
Merle rushed past a few servants carrying trays of dishes, knocking them down with a loud, "CRASH!" She grinned. 'Serves them right, nosy busybodies.'  
  
She scampered around a corner, and skidded to a halt outside the large double doors that served as the only barrier to the room of Fanelia's king. Pressing her ear up against the door, Merle listened intently for sounds of the king stirring, and smirked when she heard none. She backed up for charging distance, preparing to body-check the door.  
  
Merle burst into the room. "LORD VAN!!" she cried, leaping onto the huge canopy bed. "Lord Van, I- " But the bed was empty. Merle pouted. "Just like him to get up early and ruin my fun," she grumbled to herself as she took a cross-legged position on the bed. "I wonder where he is?"  
  
  
  
Meanwhile, Van Fanel, the young king of Fanelia had also taken to the rooftops, being ever so careful to avoid Merle, watching her rocket over the shingles like the cat she was. He had then climbed from window to window, hoping not to be caught. He now sat on the roof, far back from the edge, and watched the sun in all its splendor as it made its ascent into the sky.  
  
However, he did not marvel at the beauty of it all as Merle had for the few mere moments after she awoke. Van sat there, hugging his knees, surveying the land, his land, with a look of malice. He had grown much since the days of the war. He was no longer small in build, the reward that comes with daily sparring. His hair, though a tad longer than those days long past, was still just as black and untamed as ever, and his eyes were still the same deep brown, though they had lost the shine for life that they once held. He wore a pair of black trousers, tall leather boots and a shirt that resembled that which he wore in his journey days, only much bigger to fit his muscular frame.  
  
He scowled at the landscape. It meant nothing to him. Not much of anything meant anything to him anymore. When Fanelia had first started to rebuild, which had taken off at a soaring pace, he thought that maybe, just maybe, he might get over what had happened those 7 years ago. But 7 years had just deepened the wound left upon him by the girl from the mystic moon as she had once again risen up into the sky in that pillar of light, taking her back home, far, far away.  
  
Van clutched the pendant that hung from his neck. It just wasn't enough to comfort him anymore. At first, all he had to do was look at the pendant, its pink stone reflecting the light, and he'd have the courage to continue. For her. But as time wore on, and he found that she didn't return, perhaps couldn't return for some unknown reason, the pendant was no longer enough to keep him going. What was going on? Why hadn't she even returned to visit? Had she moved on?  
  
And as if he hadn't had enough on his mind, his advisers were strongly "suggesting" that he find a queen. "A strong king needs a strong queen," one of their voices echoed in his head. "Yes, and if you don't choose one soon, you will not be able to produce an heir, your highness," another argued. "Who knows when a war might break out? If that should be, what would happen if you were lost to us?"  
  
Van lowered his head in the morning light, resting his head on his knees. Small sobs shook his defined shoulders. "Oh Hitomi…"  
  
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"Where did she go?" Yukari, Hitomi's best friend sighed in an exasperated voice, sitting in the shade of a huge tree.  
  
"Your guess is as good as mine," replied Akiko Kunakida, both Hitomi and Yukari's friend from high school. She was very tall and slim, and had long, flowing black hair with light blue eyes, the color of ice. She had moved away after the first year of high school when her mother passed away and neither Yukari nor Hitomi had seen her since, until the very last year, when Akiko's father got a job transfer back home. They were all overjoyed to be reunited once again, the three of them. They had since become very close friends once more. She scanned the park with her hand over her eyes to shield them from the sun. "Maybe she went back to the pond? She's always going on about how she adores the scenery there."  
  
"I suppose that'd be the first place to look," Amano, Yukari's boyfriend agreed. He helped Yukari to her feet as she slung her handbag over her shoulder. "That Hitomi, always lost in her thoughts…"  
  
The four of them were at the park for a picnic that day. The sunshine practically screamed for summer activities, and the group never was prone to turn down a sunny day.  
  
They had packed the lunch and left it in Amano's car while they walked, looking for a proper place to set it up. About halfway, Yukari noticed that Hitomi had gone missing.  
  
Yukari complained to Akiko and Amano about how distracted Hitomi had been lately. "She gets these really weird, empty looks just out of the blue," she explained. "It creeps me out, seriously. It's like she's not really even there."  
  
Meanwhile, Hitomi Kanzaki was staring at the water in the pond, watching the light dance across the surface, just as Akiko had guessed. She was in one of those states that Yukari had just described, thinking deeply about something long forgotten by her best friend and ex-crush.  
  
'We can see each other any time we want,' echoed a distant voice. How she could only wish it were true. She had tried to go back, wished and hoped so hard to go back to Gaea, but it wouldn't work. There was something wrong, she could feel it, and she felt like there was nothing she could do. She felt so helpless. Helpless and lonesome.  
  
After 7 years, the girl from the mystic moon had grown up considerably as well. She was now very well developed, and a bit taller than in high school. Her hair had grown out past her shoulders, the same sandy brown, which she now had braided. She wore a wrap skirt with dolphins in a blue theme on it, a white tank top and comfortable cork sandals. "Hitomi!" She blinked her green eyes as she heard her name being called, coming out of her trance.  
  
"Hitomi, where have you been?" Yukari cried as she stopped by the bench Hitomi was sitting on, trying to catch her breath.  
  
"I didn't think you guys would mind if I broke away for a little while," Hitomi replied, a tad bashful that she hadn't told them where she was going. "Sorry, I thought you'd know where I was."  
  
"Well, main thing is you're safe, right?" Akiko said, walking up behind Yukari with Amano. She took a seat beside Hitomi. "You are alright, aren't you?"  
  
Hitomi nodded in reply. "I've just got something on my mind lately," she said, staring at the water's reflective surface again.  
  
"I'd say," Yukari said. "You're acting like you're from space or something lately, Hitomi. What's up?"  
  
"Now Yukari," Amano said, wrapping his arms around her waist from behind her, "that's Hitomi's business. If she doesn't want to say, she doesn't want to say."  
  
Yukari pouted. "C'mon Hitomi. Don't listen to him. What's wrong?" Yukari frowned as Hitomi only continued staring, lost again.  
  
Akiko stood up and whispered in Yukari's ear, "Maybe I should just try to talk to her alone, ok?"  
  
"But I'M her best friend!" Yukari whined rather loudly. "Why can't I stay and talk to her alone?"  
  
But Amano was already pushing Yukari away by her shoulders. "Come on Yukari, we'll get the picnic basket while they talk. We can have the picnic here, it does have a rather nice view." Yukari protested, but it didn't do much good and soon they were both out of earshot.  
  
Akiko sat down again. "Now, Hitomi, what's going on with you?" she asked in a very concerned tone of voice. "I'm your friend and you know I'd do anything to help you out. Please tell me what's the matter."  
  
Hitomi sighed, actually having heard every word that had been said to her since she was found. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you," she said simply, closing her eyes and leaning back on the bench.  
  
"Try me," Akiko replied, smiling warmly at her. Hitomi couldn't help but smile back when she opened her eyes again.  
  
"Alright, if you insist," she sighed and said together, and took a deep breath. "In high school for that little while you were gone, something very strange happened to me. I don't know if Yukari ever told you, but I disappeared for a length of time. I found myself in a world called Gaea, where I met many friends. I helped fight a war with many of them, and thanks to my pendant and a lot of wishful thinking we conquered the opposing force. After it was all over, I gave my pendant away and I was transported home. That was all 7 years ago."  
  
"I was wondering what happened to that pendant," Akiko said thoughtfully. "So you miss this 'Gaea' place, do you?"  
  
Hitomi smiled in spite of herself. "It's more than that," she said, turning towards Akiko. "I met a young king there. His name was Van, and – "  
  
"Say no more," Akiko cried. "I can just tell by the look on your face!" Hitomi blushed hotly. "Well, how come you don't just go back for a visit or something?"  
  
"I've tried," Hitomi said with sorrow in her voice. "Oh, how I've tried! What got me there in the first place was some kind of desire, but no matter how hard I try, I just can't go back. And the thing is, lately I can feel that there's something wrong. I don't know what it is, maybe it's keeping me from returning to Gaea, but I just want to go back and find out that everything's ok." She then added with a whisper, "I want to know if Van's ok."  
  
Akiko put an arm around Hitomi's shoulders sympathetically, and they just sat there in silence for a moment. After a while, Akiko replied, "I've been there too."  
  
Hitomi raised her head to stare Akiko in the face, shocked. "What?"  
  
"I said I've been there too," she repeated. "Just after I moved away. I don't know what it was that brought me there, and I didn't stay longer than a day, but I've been there. I didn't meet anybody, but I saw someone, and I know I'd just love to return and see them again."  
  
Hitomi felt as if her heart had just torn loose of its bearings and threatened to beat out of her chest. "You've been to Gaea?" she asked, still in a state of utter shock. Akiko nodded, smiling broadly. "Then maybe…maybe we both have enough will power to get us both there…" she thought out loud.  
  
Akiko blinked, flicking a few strands of black hair out of her face. "How do you suppose we do that?" she asked.  
  
Hitomi thought for a moment. Then something hit her like a rock in the back of her head. "Akiko, do you have anything, anything at all that resembles my old pendant?"  
  
Akiko nodded in earnest. "Funny you should ask that Hitomi, because I was looking through my mother's jewelry box shortly after she passed away and I found this." She reached inside her shirt and, sure enough, there in Akiko's palm lay a perfect copy of Hitomi's pendant, her gift to Van. "I don't know why, but something just urged me to take it," she went on to say.  
  
"Ok," Hitomi said, excited now at the prospect of going back to Gaea. "If we wish hard enough, it should work." Akiko grasped the pendant hard in her palm, and Hitomi grasped Akiko's hand in turn. They both wished with all their might to return to Gaea. 'I'm coming, Van…' Hitomi thought to herself. 'I'm coming.' 


	2. The Girls From The Mystic Moon

1 Chapter 2: The Girls From the Mystic Moon  
  
Van had long since clambered awkwardly from the roof back to his bedroom, where he had changed into his kingly robes. He stood in front of the full-length mirror, taking in what he saw. What he saw was a foolish man who wore the royal robes of the king of Fanelia, a bitter man because of the choices he made as a teenager. Why had he let her go? The image returned to him, Hitomi smiling downward as she drifted slowly away in the giant stalk of light, having just revealed that she loved him.  
  
But he hadn't asked her to stay with him. Van turned away from the mirror, his face one of pain and angst. Gritting his teeth, he straightened his robes and left the room, two servants closing the huge wooden double doors behind him as he started down the hallway.  
  
"Lord Van!!" Merle cried, bounding out of nowhere. She skidded to a stop, trying her best to fight the urge to tackle him. "I almost forgot," she said sheepishly. "Damien told me not to tackle you when you're wearing the royal clothing."  
  
Van just laughed, masking his unhappiness as he did every day that preceded this one. "He has been hassling you a lot lately, hasn't he?"  
  
Damien de Branton was the newest of the royal advisers, and quite a stern one at that. The son of a distant cousin to the royal family, Damien was born in Fanelia, then moved with his family to Freid so he could begin study. After he heard tell of the adventures of his distant cousin with the girl from the mystic moon, he made it his business to be appointed chief advisor to the king of Fanelia. Though his plans did not completely succeed, Damien had managed to rank as a very highly respected advisor by this point. Van never did like him much. There was just too much coldness in his eyes. Van could always feel their piercing gaze on him as he spoke at council, offering the solution to best his people. When he looked at Damien, he would stare back, his silver hair hanging down past his shoulders, sometimes in his face, his icy, black eyes seeming to slice through his very soul. It was creepy, and there were times when Van thought that Damien could tell what he was thinking.  
  
Merle's ears flattened against her head. "Yes, and I think his only pleasure is keeping me from having any fun," she said, growling softly.  
  
Van chuckled. "I just think he's a bit touchy about tradition, Merle. No need to get upset over a person like him." Actually, Van thought it perfectly right to get upset over a person like him. Damien made him anxious, but he wouldn't tell Merle that. He didn't want to burden her with issues that couldn't be helped. It was just the way things were, and that was that. Such was the life of being king.  
  
Merle stood up, her tail swinging back and forth as she still thought of Damien and his stupid rules. "Anyway, he sent me to get you. It seems that there's something they need to discuss with you."  
  
Van groaned as they started walking. Lately, every time there was "something we need to discuss with you" it was about marriage. That's all the council seemed to have on their minds recently. "I don't want to talk about that today," Van pouted, putting his hands behind his head in a very un-kingly fashion as he and Merle strolled down the hall.  
  
Merle's face softened. She knew exactly what he was talking about. "You miss her, don't you?" she asked quietly.  
  
"Of course I miss her," he replied in a sigh. Merle had to be the only person who had known Hitomi almost as well as he had. She knew how they felt about each other. She also knew all about Van having to acquire a queen in the very near future. "Merle, what am I going to do?"  
  
"Bring her back!" Merle cried, near shouting at him. "I've told you near a hundred times now! Bring her back and ask her to stay!"  
  
But Van just shook his head. "I've answered a hundred times, Merle. It's selfish of me. I can't ask her to stay. And even if I could, I can't bring her back here. It's just not working. I've hoped and I've dreamed and I've waited for the day when she'd return, hoping she'd find some way to come back that I didn't know about. But it hasn't happened, and soon it'll be too late."  
  
Merle had opened her mouth to reply when she bumped into something directly in her path. She fell to the floor and shouted, "Why don't you watch where you're going, you –" She froze. Damien was staring down at her, scowling. He smirked when she stopped in mid-sentence.  
  
Damien turned to Van and said, "Greetings majesty. I see that the feline has found you. Was there any trouble?" Van knew that he was referring to Merle pouncing him.  
  
"No, none at all," Van replied, offering Merle a hand to help her to her feet. "In fact, Merle and I were just discussing something of great importance. What did you want to see me about?"  
  
Damien bowed. "I apologize, majesty, but this matter must be approached under security." He glowered at Merle as he spoke these words. "May I suggest the cat be brought outdoors before we begin?"  
  
Now it was Van's turn to scowl. Merle growled at him as she dusted herself off, ears flat against her head and tail swishing back and forth angrily once more. "I think she can find her way well enough, thank you Damien. She has lived here as long as I have, after all."  
  
Damien nodded as he turned to a nearby door that bore great resemblance to that of Van's bedroom, only engraved a little more elaborately and a little bigger. "Very well, highness," he hissed, obviously displeased, "I will await you in the council room." And with that, Damien disappeared behind the double doors as they shut with a muffled "boom", which to Van sounded synonymous to that of a dungeon.  
  
Before Merle could start her usual spiel of complaints and profanities, Van told her to wait for him at the usual spot. She wanted to protest, but Van's pleading eyes held authority over her harsh words. Merle simply nodded and took off scampering down the hallway.  
  
Van sighed. He clasped the pendant in his right palm, which had been visible on the outside of his robe the entire conversation between he and Merle, and closed his eyes. 'Give me strength to hold on.' He then dropped the pendant down the front of his robe to hide it once more and opened one of the doors.  
  
The council was in an uproar. Many of his advisors, distinguished by the simple mahogany robes they wore and where they were seated at table, were arguing amongst themselves, yelling and trying in vain to convince the other that his standpoint was correct, and the one that the king would chose. Van just strode past them all in his elaborate red and navy blue, used to this kind of thing nowadays for they near always fought about everything, and took his place at the head of the table in a huge chair that reached nearly to the ceiling of the great council hall. Only when he raised his hands for silence did the council take notice of his presence, and all rose to greet his majesty. He sat down, and the rest of the council did as well. Damien stared at Van from his place on Van's right, three seats away, waiting for the council to start deliberation. Van eyed him cautiously, before looking around the long table at the rest of the delegation.  
  
"You all wanted to see me?" he simply asked the now silent room.  
  
An elderly man in mahogany stood and cleared his throat. "Sire," he began, "we know how you tire so of having to hear us men natter on and on about this topic, but…" He looked to his right at another gentleman, who nodded and bade him continue. "…but we as Fanelia's royal council feel that it is our sworn duty to arrange a marriage between you and another of royal blood. It is the only way we are going to resolve this…problem."  
  
Van was shocked. An arranged marriage? Marry a girl he had never seen before in his life? How could he do that? How on Gaea could he just forget about Hitomi? How could he just give in to the challenge of not seeing her for so long and marry another woman?  
  
"No," Van said simply, closing his eyes. "I'm sorry Miguel, I just cannot bring myself to marry a woman whom I have no feelings for."  
  
"But sire," the elder man protested further, "how do you know that you have no feelings for her? You have not even met her."  
  
"Because," Van replied, "my heart is pledged to another."  
  
"Your highness," another man, much younger than the other said as he stood, "if it is to the girl from the mystic moon that you refer, you cannot possibly await her return. She has not come back, and you are aging. We all are."  
  
Van stood up to shout at them all for this unthinkable betrayal, when it was that Damien stood up and told Van as if he were a child, "We apologize, sire, but the young duchess Arabella of Tyran is already on her way here. When she arrives, you will have 3 days to court her and prepare before you wed. The matter is no longer in your hands." His cold eyes held Van's frightened gaze. "Do I make myself clear?"  
  
Van felt as if he were caged, trapped. All odds were against him now. But his council was right. It was time he moved on. He was getting older, with the possibility of bearing children becoming more and more slightly unlikely as each year slowly crept by. Soon it would all add up, and there'd be no chance to produce an heir whatsoever. He slumped back down into his seat, defeated. "Yes, very clear," the grown man replied, nearly in a whisper.  
  
Damien didn't have to hear what Van said to know that he'd won. "Excellent majesty," he said. "We have much to prepare. Why don't you go seek your feline while we make plans? There are no more duties for you to see to today."  
  
If Van had to say he wanted to stay, Damien would have shooed him off. But he wanted to be anywhere but here, anywhere except around these conspirators who had just ruled out the possibility for him to be happy ever again. He regained his dignity as he strode back out the door, but as soon as it boomed shut behind him, he broke out into a run down the hallway, back to his chambers.  
  
It was only when he was changing into his casual clothes did Van realize that the pendant around his neck was pulsating in a kind of funny way. It shone once, dimmed, and shone again for a couple of seconds. It repeated this over and over, and Van could only hope that his wildest dream had finally come true, after 7 long years. He rushed to pull on his shirt and boots and bolted out the door, not stopping until he reached the royal stables, where he saddled a gray horse with a few black spots. 'This would be so much easier if Damien didn't forbid me to use my wings,' Van thought to himself, panting in the effort. He quickly swung one leg up onto the stirrup and set himself on the horse. 'Please let it be her,' he prayed. 'Please.' The horse took off at rocket speed as Van smacked its rear, in the direction of the forest.  
  
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Meanwhile in the 'usual spot', which just happened to be Van's father's grave, Merle had been relaxing in a tree, awaiting Van to return when a familiar stream of light shot vertical out of the sky, aimed at the ground. She nearly fell out of her tree when it happened, but she managed to hold on, scrambling, and she watched in awe as two figures were slowly lowered to the ground inside of it. And then, all of a sudden, it was gone, and the two figures lay in a heap on the grass in front of the grave.  
  
Merle leapt from her tree, and crept up to them. They were two women, one with long black hair, and one with long, sandy-brown hair…Merle sniffed her hand. "HITOMI!!" she cried happily, jumping to her feet. She shook her. "Hitomi, Hitomi wake up!! You couldn't have come at a better time…oh, wake up, will you?!"  
  
It was then that Van came galloping up behind her. He had seen it happen as he rode closer and closer to the gravesite, the two shadows being brought to Gaea from the mystic moon once more. 'Why two of them?' he had wondered, but didn't want to get his hopes up. It might not have been Hitomi at all.  
  
But when Van leapt off his horse, he recognized her at once, despite all the change that time had brought about. He came around the side of Merle and pulled Hitomi off the other woman with the black hair. He glanced at her, not remembering seeing her before, before cuddling the unconscious Hitomi in his arms like a baby.  
  
She was so beautiful, not that she wasn't anything to look at 7 years ago, but time had certainly not been unkind to her. Van had to use every ounce of willpower in his body to not kiss her right there on the very spot. He brushed a stray strand of hair out of her face and smiled broadly. "Lord Van?"  
  
"Hmm?" Van said in the most contented tone since the days of the war as he looked up. Merle was poking at the other woman's cheek, who was still sprawled out on the rich, green grass.  
  
"Who do you suppose she is?" Merle asked, sniffing her and scowling at the same time. It looked like Merle had a new person to tease in Hitomi's place.  
  
"I'm sure Hitomi will be able to tell us everything when she wakes," Van replied, staring intently into his beloved's face once more. "For now we should just focus on getting them back to the palace. Can you go and get another horse please, Merle?"  
  
Merle grimaced, but once again Van's pleading eyes held higher influence than her speech and with a small sigh Merle darted off towards the palace to retrieve another horse.  
  
"Hitomi," Van sighed happily once Merle had left, "my darling Hitomi…" 


	3. Home Is Where The Heart Is

Chapter3: Home Is Where The Heart Is  
  
  
  
"Why is there nothing you can do? She's back now! She came back!! What more do you need?" Van cried at Miguel, the elder advisor who had broken the news of the arranged marriage to him. He and Van were in the royal chambers, as Van was trying to convince him to call off the wedding to duchess Arabella.  
  
"I'm so sorry majesty," Miguel replied, his head lowered, talking into his chest. "I know you love her, but like Damien said, the duchess is already on her way. There is no way to break this bond. If you do, Tyran will get very angry with Fanelia, and, well, who knows what might happen then. We simply cannot break this betrothal. You would be putting your whole kingdom at stake."  
  
"I can't stand for this!!" Van yelled at him. "I won't! I love Hitomi too much to do this to her!!"  
  
Miguel's head drew up sharply. His face was very cross. "My lord," he said respectively, "There is simply nothing that can be done. You are just going to have to tell her straight out. The well being of your people always comes before you. That is the life of a king." Miguel looked upset, but had to hold his ground and stern facial expression for the king.  
  
Van slumped into a nearby chair, next to the window. He stared helplessly outside, watching a bird fly freely through the sky. "I don't want to hurt her, Miguel," he sighed. "I have no choice but to go ahead with it, I know that. But if I tell Merle…what am I going to do? … I can only pray that she understands…"  
  
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Hitomi awoke in a beautiful room on a huge canopy bed with colorful tapestries hanging from the walls. There was a small table next to the bed with a bowl of water and a cold cloth hanging off its edge, and a chair stood next to the window to her left. It was a bit dark with the shutters closed. Without a second thought she leapt off the bed and threw them open. The late afternoon sun flooded into the room and Hitomi saw, with all her hearts delight, the kingdom of Fanelia spread out before her, even more magnificent than when she had left it.  
  
"HITOMI!!" cried a familiar voice from the doorway. Before she could turn around to confirm her suspicions, she was on the floor with a very heavy cat-girl sitting on her chest, swishing her tail back and forth happily.  
  
Hitomi smiled, despite being near unable to breathe. "Merle! So I really am back!" She sat up and caught Merle in a hug, squeezing her tightly. "It just feels so good to be home."  
  
"Home??" Merle squeaked hopefully in the tight embrace. "You mean you're staying for good??"  
  
"Well, I was hoping to stay for a while," Hitomi said thoughtfully, not having really thought about it much. All she had really focused on was getting back. She hadn't thought as far ahead as to what her next move should be. Then she remembered. "Where's Akiko??"  
  
Merle blinked. "You mean that other girl that came here with you?" she asked. "We put her in another room. She's not awake yet. C'mon, you must want to see Lord Van!" Merle bounced to her feet in excitement.  
  
"I'd rather see if Akiko's all right first, if that's ok with you," Hitomi replied, standing and brushing some dirt off of her.  
  
Merle scowled. "Ok, but I'm sure Lord Van wants to see you as soon as possible! He'll be upset that you made him wait."  
  
'Looks like Merle's found someone new to torture,' Hitomi thought, smiling. She wouldn't dare say it though. She knew that it would only be a matter of time before Akiko and Merle started to get to know each other and become great friends. "I'm sure he can stand to wait a little while longer Merle, as can I. It's been 7 years. What's another 10 minutes?"  
  
Merle grumbled as she started out the door, but soon she struck up intense conversation as led the way down the hall. "…Melerna and Dryden are having their third child next month. He's great with kids, Hitomi. You have to see them sometime, they're adorable!" They stopped and entered a plain wooden door into another, less fancy-looking room, where on a small bed lay Akiko, sound asleep. Hitomi was glad that she was fine, and felt safe to leave her to rest.  
  
Merle grabbed Hitomi by the hand and led her back to her room, where 3 handmaidens were awaiting with piles and piles of clothes for her to try on. "I know you probably don't like it, but Damien will get so mad if you don't follow royal tradition," Merle explained, rolling her eyes.  
  
"Damien? Who's that?" Hitomi asked as the handmaidens were searching for the right clothes through a pile on the bed after scanning her up and down.  
  
"He's one of the royal advisers," Merle explained. "He gives everyone the creeps. And he really doesn't like me." She pouted and crossed her arms, which made Hitomi giggle.  
  
"Well, I'll leave you to get dressed," Merle sighed. "I'll go get Lord Van and we'll arrange to go someplace, ok?" Before Hitomi could answer, she bounded out the door, and the handmaidens attacked her with the barrage of shirts and dresses.  
  
Once the maids were satisfied with how Hitomi looked, she asked if they could go to Akiko's room and do the same for her. Eager to please both girls from the mystic moon, they all bundled up the clothing and headed out the door.  
  
Hitomi inspected herself in the mirror. She was wearing a beautiful light blue dress over a white shirt with puffy sleeves. It had buttons all the way down the front and stopped just above her ankles. 'Typical style,' Hitomi thought, smiling to herself. She felt so at home here. Maybe she would like to stay, if Van would let her. She could just imagine the look on his face when he saw her in this dress. She suddenly couldn't wait to see him.  
  
There was a soft knock at the door. "Yes?" Hitomi called. The door opened a crack and Akiko's head peeked in. "Hitomi? Can I come in for a second?"  
  
Hitomi grinned. "Sure you can Akiko. Did the maids give you a dress?"  
  
Akiko walked into the bedroom, closing the door softly behind her. She was wearing a one-piece hunter green dress with a low-cut top, and short, lacy sleeves. It also came down to just past her ankles like Hitomi's. She was blushing. "Do you think the front of this is too low?"  
  
"Not really," Hitomi replied. She thought Akiko looked very pretty in the dress. "You should wear that kind of thing more often, it suits you."  
  
Akiko smiled, still blushing slightly. "I don't think I want to wear something so…revealing," she said, lifting up the skirt of the dress so she could walk over to the window. She stood in front of it, leaning her elbows on the windowsill with her face in her hands. "So this place is Fanelia. It's a beautiful kingdom."  
  
"How did you know what it was called?" Hitomi asked curiously.  
  
"The maids told me," Akiko answered, staring out the window absently. "They also said we're going to be holding an audience with the king very shortly." She smiled broadly and turned to look at her. "Can you imagine, Hitomi? The king!"  
  
Hitomi blushed hotly and smiled too. "Yes, the king of Fanelia. I can't wait."  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
  
  
"WHAT?!" Merle exclaimed.  
  
"That's right, Merle. I don't love her anymore. I'm getting married in 4 days. The duchess Arabella will arrive tomorrow and we will be wed. Hitomi means nothing to me anymore." Van's heart sank into the pit of his stomach as he said this, but it had to be done. It was the only way he could go through with it. For his kingdom. For Fanelia.  
  
"But just earlier you told me that-" Merle started.  
  
"Forget everything I said earlier!" Van shouted at her. He didn't mean for it to come out so forcefully. "I don't care for her anymore! I want…I want Arabella!"  
  
Merle just stared at him, hurt and very confused. She stared into his eyes for a moment. They were full of hurt and dismay. Just by looking at Van's eyes she could tell it was a lie. She had always been able to tell, ever since they were kids. If he was feeling mischievous, there was a certain shine of adventure in them. If he was feeling happy, they sparkled in delight. And if he was feeling sad, they had an emptiness to them that Merle just could not bear. It was the emptiness that he had held in them for so long. But now there burned a rage in the emptiness, like a single fire in the black of night.  
  
"Whatever you say, Lord Van," Merle replied after a long silence, and before Van could say anything more, she scampered high up into a nearby tree, where he lost sight of her.  
  
It was then that Miguel, Hitomi and Akiko arrived, perched atop three beautiful stallions. Hitomi's was gray, Akiko's was Black, and Miguel's was brown. They all trotted to a stop, and Hitomi practically fell off her gray horse trying to get down. She dashed over to Van and wrapped her arms around his neck.  
  
"Van, I'm so happy to see you!" she cried. "I've missed you so much! I've just heard so much has happened since I've been gone!"  
  
Hitomi didn't notice something was wrong until she realized that Van didn't squeeze her back. She pulled away and looked at him. "Van, what's the matter? Aren't you happy to see me?" Miguel looked at the ground, awaiting the harsh news. Akiko was in shock that the one that Hitomi was in love with was a king and still hadn't dismounted her stallion.  
  
Van pointed to the black-haired woman sitting on her horse. "Who is she?" he asked.  
  
Akiko finally found herself and dismounted her horse. "My name is Akiko Kunikida. Nice to meet you, your majesty." She did a tiny curtsy.  
  
Van nodded in reply, then took her hand and kissed it. "The pleasure is all mine, m'lady."  
  
Hitomi just stared, unable to move. What was going on here? Why didn't he hug her back? And why did he kiss Akiko's hand just now?  
  
Akiko blushed. "I…I…" She was at a loss for words. She smiled bashfully.  
  
Hitomi's eyes burned with hate. Suspicions raced through her mind. Could Van have been the one Akiko met when she too came to Gaea? Could Van have never told her about Akiko? Jealousy swept over her like a blanket and her eyes burned into Van's back.  
  
But Van seemed to take no notice. "I would very much like to show you around Fanelia sometime if you don't mind," he told Akiko, smiling.  
  
"I…I'd like that very much," Akiko managed to stammer. She curtsied again, unsure of how to act around a king.  
  
Then Miguel spoke up. "Ahem. Excuse me, your majesty, but I don't think you addressed the Lady Hitomi. Perhaps you should have a few minutes to talk with her in private?"  
  
Van nodded slowly, sadly, and turned to Hitomi. He took the reins of her horse and mounted it. Trotting over to her, he offered her his hand and simply said, "C'mon," as if she couldn't mean anything more to him than a pebble.  
  
Hitomi pouted. She didn't take his hand, and struggled to get her foot into the stirrup. She tripped on her new dress, and fell flat on her face. Van sighed and smiled a little, which Hitomi couldn't see since she was facedown on the grass. She quickly got up and mounted the horse, being sure to not get her dress caught in the stirrup again. She refused to hold onto him, but when the horse stated galloping she wrapped her arms around his waist for dear life. Akiko and Miguel watched as they both raced off into the forest in the setting sun.  
  
They rode for a long time, until it was dark and the stars were out. Van pulled the horse to a halt by the shore of a beautiful lake, the surface reflecting the mystic moon magnificently. He dismounted, and offered a hand to Hitomi to help her down. Once again she pouted, crossed her arms and stuck her nose in the air. Van sighed in defeat, and stood aside to let her get down by herself. She slid off the horse, landing on her feet.  
  
It was then that Van cried, "Hitomi, what is the matter with you?!"  
  
"What's the matter with me?!" she screamed at him, "what's the matter with you?? Why did you kiss Akiko's hand, Van??!"  
  
"It was a gesture of courtesy, Hitomi!! It's how a gentleman is supposed to greet a lady!!"  
  
"Oh, that's a fine excuse then!! Why didn't you greet me, Mr. King of Fanelia?! Or did I overdo it by expressing how much I missed you??!"  
  
Van opened his mouth to reply, but couldn't. He looked away, unable to face the accusation she held in her lovely green eyes. He turned and walked towards the lake. He sat down on the grass, staring up at the mystic moon, longing to tell her what he felt inside. Hitomi followed, having forgotten about her jealousy, completely and utterly stumped.  
  
"Van, what's the matter?" she asked, sitting down next to him, hugging her knees. She gazed at him with an expression of concern, worry.  
  
'Just like her to worry more about others than herself,' Van thought. "Hitomi, I have a confession to make." He swallowed the lump in his throat, refusing to show her his emotions.  
  
Hitomi stared up at the mystic moon. 'What could be so important that he didn't even greet me?' she thought to herself. "I'm listening, Van."  
  
"I…I'm getting married in 4 days," he blurted out. "I'm sorry Hitomi, but, I'm getting married to the duchess of Tyran." He closed his eyes, waiting for her tears, the tears that would break his heart.  
  
She looked at him, trying her hardest to smile. "I should've known," she replied, her voice wavering. "I should have known that you'd have moved on by now." Her eyes started to water, but she wouldn't let her smile fade. "I should have known that coming back was a bad idea now. I…I'm sorry, Van." She stood up and started running towards the forest.  
  
"Hitomi!" Van called after her. He scrambled to his feet, realizing what she was doing. "HITOMI!! COME BACK!!" But Hitomi wouldn't hear him. She just kept running, sobbing and wiping her eyes with her sleeve. She tripped over numerous tree roots, and her dress, falling down with every third step, but she just got right back up and kept going.  
  
"HITOMI!! HITOMI!!!" Van screamed. He lowered his head, tears flowing down his cheeks. "I love you…" he sobbed into his chest. 


	4. The Truth Will Set You Free...

1 Chapter4: The Truth Will Set You Free…  
  
  
  
It was just before daybreak, and Van still hadn't come back with Hitomi. He had come back to the palace to get help to search for her about half an hour after sunset, and he, Miguel, and some soldiers had gone after her. Akiko and Merle had been awake all night with worry for the three of them, their faces sullen and concerned as they both paced Hitomi's bedroom. Every now and again Merle would glare at Akiko as she passed her by, and Akiko would glare back, not even knowing what she had done to make Merle so angry.  
  
"What in Gaea is going on out there??!" Merle cried, not being able to take the tension anymore.  
  
Akiko stared out the window, trying to find any sign of the search party returning. "I hope they find her," she replied sorrowfully.  
  
Merle growled. "This is all YOUR fault!!" she shouted angrily. "If…if you hadn't been there then Lord Van wouldn't have had to kiss your hand and made Hitomi jealous!!"  
  
"MY fault??!" Akiko retorted, whipping around to face Merle. "How can you blame this on me, you ragged little alley cat?? If it weren't for me, Hitomi never would have gotten back here!! It's not my fault that Van didn't even say hello to her!! What am I supposed to do, smack him and tell him to back off?!" She did like Van, granted, but…  
  
Merle kept growling, though she knew Akiko was right. It wasn't her fault at all. But she just stuck her nose in the air and turned away. She sat on the bed, swishing her tail back and forth in her temper. "What do you mean, if not for you anyway? How did you even know about Gaea?"  
  
Akiko, still quite angry that Merle could accuse her of such a thing, practically tore the pendant from around her neck and threw it onto the bed, next to Merle. "Does that answer your question?"  
  
Merle picked it up and held it swinging in front of her face. She growled again and tackled Akiko, sitting squarely on her chest. "You little thief! This is Lord Van's!! Hitomi gave it to him!!"  
  
"No…it's not!! That one was my mother's!!" Akiko sputtered, gasping for air. She snatched it out of Merle's hand and pushed her off. She stood over her and pulled the chain back around her neck. "That's how we got back. Now if you don't mind, I'd rather not discuss this anymore."  
  
Both girls turned away haughtily, sticking their noses in the air and crossing their arms with a "Hmpf!"  
  
But outside the room, peering through the door, which was slightly ajar, Damien de Branton was watching, and had seen the whole thing. He particularly had his eye on that pendant which Akiko held so close to her heart. Grinning to himself, he turned, his cloak swishing by. He strode down the hallway with quite the vote of confidence. "This is turning out to be much more in my favor than I had first planned," he said to himself. "Much more, indeed."  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
"Over here, Miguel!" Van yelled out in the forest. "Hurry, I've found her!!"  
  
Van was leaning over the unconscious Hitomi. He gritted his teeth as he gently pulled her into his arms. He was glad that he had found her, but was horrified to see that the huge cut on her forehead was still bleeding. Van balled his hand into a fist. He was disgusted with himself. Why didn't he just tell her the truth? She wouldn't have gotten hurt that way. He wouldn't be able to live with himself if something ever happened to her…  
  
Miguel rode up towards them, and blew a small whistle that hung around his neck as he did so. Soldiers soon followed, pulling their horses to a halt when they neared. Van stood up. "Miguel, head back to the palace. I'm taking her myself."  
  
Miguel frowned, displeased, but only nodded. "Move out, men! We're heading home!" He and the rest of the search party galloped away, and were soon out of sight. Van tore off his shirt with one hand and with a kind of snap, a pair of beautiful white wings shot out of his back. "I don't care what Damien says," he told Hitomi as he bundled her up in his arms, laying his shirt over her to prevent her from getting cold. "Some rules are made to be broken." And with that, he took off into the sunrise.  
  
Soaring through the air, Van had forgotten how free he felt when he took to the skies. Looking downward, he could see the search party racing like mad back to the palace. Van quickened the beat of his wings, flying ahead of them. He was sure to get there before they did. He circled the palace once, and ascended the east side, to the roof. He retracted his wings as soon as his feet hit the shingles, and using one hand, swung himself down onto a windowsill, then another, and another, until he reached his own room. Racing out the doorway, he dashed a short way down the hall, to Hitomi's room, where a surprised Merle and Akiko waited.  
  
Van carefully laid Hitomi on the bed, wiping his brow. Akiko gasped at the wound on her forehead. Merle took off out the door, down the hallway, to get a doctor. Akiko stared at Van, questions in her eyes, but Van just turned away and said nothing. His breathing was broken and ragged, and he sat on the edge of the bed.  
  
Akiko frowned. She sat on the edge of the bed on Hitomi's side and began to wipe away the blood with the cloth and the bowl of water that had still not moved since earlier that day. Though it kept bleeding, Akiko could see that the gash was quite big. And deep. The gleam of white bone could just barely be seen, before a flood of red engulfed it again. Akiko felt her stomach lurch, but didn't back away until Merle returned with the doctor, looking quite jostled and drowsy from just being pulled out of bed.  
  
"Please, you will all have to leave," he said, readjusting a small leather bag that hung over his shoulder.  
  
Akiko nodded, and headed out the door after Merle. Van turned to the doctor, a terrified look on his face. "Is she going to be alright?"  
  
The doctor looked down. "I have no idea, my Lord," he replied sullenly. "Only time will tell." Van sighed, and walked slowly out the door as well.  
  
"Lord Van," Merle asked softly, "are you alright?"  
  
But Van didn't say a word, and just kept trudging back to his own room, head down, holding his shirt in one hand.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Akiko returned to her room, dazed and very tired. She slumped onto her small bed, the downy mattress soft and inviting. She lay down, and started to cry into her pillow. Maybe coming back to Gaea wasn't such a good idea after all. If they hadn't come, Hitomi would be fine, sitting in the park with herself, Yukari and Amano while they all ate ice cream instead of lying on a bed unconscious with a huge gash on her forehead that looked like it might not stop bleeding. And Van…there was something definitely wrong with him. Akiko could tell he was hiding something. She'd always been able to tell that about people from first glance. She cried and cried, turning these thoughts over in her head until she just couldn't keep up the energy anymore and fell asleep.  
  
As her sobs died down slowly, Damien straightened himself up in the hall. He was waiting for her to fall asleep. He crept in through the door, shutting it quietly behind him. He padded slowly over to the bed, where Akiko lay, fast asleep, her pendant hanging over her dress. Damien cupped it in his hand and grinned. But as he tried to gently slide it over her head, a flash of pink light shot from it. Damien was blinded, and stumbled onto the floor, making a lot of noise as he did.  
  
Akiko woke with a start at the sound, her eyes darting around in the semi-darkness. "Who's there?" she called out, her voice wavering. "Who's there?? Show yourself, or I'll scream!!"  
  
Damien stood up, brushing himself off. "I'm sorry that I woke you, Lady Akiko," he apologized. "It is I, Damien, one of the royal advisors."  
  
"W-what are you doing in my room?" she stammered, pulling the sheets up to her nose.  
  
Damien sat on the edge of the bed. 'Obviously I can't simply take it from her. This may take something a little more elaborate,' he thought. "Akiko, have you ever hated anyone before?"  
  
"What's that to you?" she asked, lowering the sheets a little, her voice still laced with fear.  
  
Damien cupped the small pink stone in his hand once more. "Haven't you always wanted to make your dreams come true?" he asked, ignoring her question.  
  
"What are you getting at?" she said, eyeing him curiously. He was beginning to capture her interest, he could see, and he smiled.  
  
"With this simple little pendant, everything you ever wanted could be yours," he said, turning it over in his palm. "Everything you ever hated could be erased form existence. All you have to do is wish it."  
  
"What are you talking about?" Akiko asked. "What do you mean?"  
  
Damien laid the pendant back against her chest, his hand brushing tantalizing against her bared cleavage. Akiko quickly covered it again, disgusted. "I mean that Van could be yours, Akiko, yours and yours alone. I know it's what you want. I can see it in your eyes."  
  
Akiko looked away. "He…Hitomi loves him. It wouldn't be fair of me to…"  
  
"Oh please!" Damien cried, throwing his hands in the air. "He says that he no longer loves that wench. Didn't he tell you? Why didn't he call off the arranged marriage for her? He is supposed to be married in a matter of days, true, but wouldn't it be grand if he called it all off, just for you, and only you? That he loved you so much, he totally forgot about this arranged marriage of his and wanted to make you his queen?"  
  
Akiko looked at him for a moment. Van could be hers? With a simple wish, and that would be it? But what about Hitomi? She'd be so torn up inside when she found out. She just might do worse to herself than what had happened tonight…  
  
"No," she said, closing her eyes tightly. "I…I do care for Van, but…I just can't."  
  
Damien pulled her into his arms, hugging her close to him. "My dear Akiko," he said, stroking her hair. Akiko blushed, not really knowing what to say. "You poor, poor girl, tied down by the wants of others. You poor, poor girl…"  
  
Damien started a sort of incantation. As he did this, he placed his index and middle fingers on her shoulder blade, and pressed lightly. An ancient symbol started glowing blue where he had his fingers. Akiko's eyes closed slowly as he kept chanting, and she eventually went limp in his arms.  
  
Satisfied with his work, Damien laid Akiko down on the bed. He kissed her on the lips and smiled evilly. "Until tomorrow, m'lady," he said. "Sweet dreams." He laughed to himself as he stood and walked out the door.  
  
  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Meanwhile, Van sat on the edge of his large canopy bed, shoulders hunched, still naked from the waist up. With his face in his hands, he couldn't stop the tears from coming as he thought of Hitomi as he had found her, lying there facedown on the forest floor, her beautiful blue dress torn on tree branches from running, and the huge cut on her head, the blood…  
  
Van balled his hands into fists and fell to his knees. He pounded on the wood beneath him so hard that it split in places. He screamed so loud that the dead would've sat up straight in their graves in fear. Why did he have to do this to her?! Why?!  
  
Someone knocked on the door. "Leave me alone," Van mumbled, his voice hoarse. But the door creaked open slowly anyway, and Merle stepped in.  
  
"Lord Van?" she asked, a mix of horror and concern on her face. He didn't reply. "Lord Van, please, tell me the truth. You still care for Hitomi, don't you? You have to if you're so torn up about this. Please, talk to me." She came over and crawled up onto the bed, her ears flat against her head as if she had been caught doing something wrong.  
  
Van had started to sob again, his fists and hunched knees supporting him on the floor. "I let her down, Merle," he told the floor. "She came back to be with me, and I let her down. How am I ever going to live this up to her?"  
  
Merle gulped. "I…I don't know if you're going to have a chance," she stammered.  
  
Van jumped to his feet to face her. "What?! What do you mean, Merle?! She's going to be ok, isn't she?!" Merle didn't answer. "ISN'T SHE??!"  
  
Merle turned her head to the side, her eyes closed. "The doctor said…he said that she might not pull through. She's had a really nasty blow to the head and…and we don't know if she's going to snap out of it." Merle chocked on her words.  
  
Van just stood there, staring at Merle, mouth gaping. "She…she'll die?" Merle nodded slowly, tears seeping out of her closed eyes. "But…she can't!! She just can't!!" Van cried, grabbing his shirt off the bed and pulling it over his head. He ran out the door.  
  
Merle looked out the window, staring at the sky as the sun peeked over the hills once more. "This can't happen…" she whispered.  
  
Van bolted down the hallway to Hitomi's room, where the doctor was putting some things away in the little leather bag of his. When he saw Van, he bowed, quickly gathered the rest of his things and hurried out of the room. Van shut the door behind him, and sauntered over to the bed. Hitomi lay there, her head wrapped in clean bandages, dressed in a large white nightgown.  
  
Van collapsed at the side of the bed, kneeling on the floor. He took Hitomi's hand in both of his and sobbed. "Hitomi, forgive me! I'm so sorry!!"  
  
Hitomi didn't answer, just maintained her slight, rhythmic breathing. She didn't look peaceful as most comatose people did, as if something horribly wrong had happened to her. This just made Van cry even louder. "Don't leave me…Hitomi…" he whispered between sobs, laying his head on the bed, "…please don't leave me…"  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Hitomi awoke to find herself lying in the forest, where she had landed. How long had she been out? She sat up and held her aching head. She looked around through blurry, unfocused eyes. Gazing skyward, she saw the mystic moon in the sky, her home, Earth. 'How are Yukari and Amano doing right now?' she wondered, letting her thoughts wander.  
  
She stood up and began walking. In no time at all, she was by the lakeshore where Van had taken her. Yes, Van had taken her there on horseback to talk to her about something. About…  
  
But she couldn't for the life of her remember what it was. All she knew now was that she was alone. Where was he, anyway? He hadn't left her, had he? All alone in this strange forest…  
  
Hitomi sat down to try and figure out what had happened. She thought hard, back to when they arrived. They were yelling at each other…they were fighting. Yes, that was it. They were arguing about how he had kissed Akiko's hand! And…Hitomi's face sunk as she remembered…he told her that he was getting married. In 4 days. "No…" she said quietly. "It can't be…" She pulled her knees to her face and hugged them, sobbing. 


	5. The Duchess Arabella

1 Chapter 5: The Duchess Arabella  
  
  
  
Miguel knocked on the door. "My Lord?" he spoke softly. "My Lord, may I come in?" There was no reply, so Miguel pushed the door open.  
  
Van still knelt beside the bed, Hitomi's hand in his light grasp as he slept. Miguel didn't want to wake him, but the business day awaited, and the king of Fanelia had to meet his new bride. He slowly walked over to Van and shook him. "My Lord, wake up. You have your business to attend to. Sire…"  
  
Van opened his eyes and glanced up at Miguel. "Miguel…what…oh, yes. Business. What first?" He yawned. His gaze fell upon Hitomi again, and he frowned.  
  
"You must greet the Duchess Arabella," Miguel replied, knowing that he was going to get some kind of resistance in reply. "Your majesty, you must remember your people…"  
  
But Van was already on his feet, walking towards the door. He just wanted to get this day over with. There wasn't much more that could go wrong today, unless the duchess took an immediate liking to him. Then he'd be in trouble. Miguel stared after him, quite puzzled.  
  
In his room, Van put on his royal robes. If it were up to him he wouldn't have even dreamt of wearing these damned clothes today. He'd spend his time with Hitomi in her room wearing something a little more comfortable. He had a dream last night that she was crying by the lakeside where he had told her… He growled at his reflection in the mirror. Damn him and his feelings!  
  
Van stalked down to the council room, absolutely furious with himself. He swung the doors open and walked in, glaring at every single person at the long table as he did so. The dull roar suddenly died, as everyone beheld his majesty's scorn. Van strode to the other end of the table, and took his seat. "Let's get this over with," he told them all angrily. Van glared directly at Damien. He grinned back, that conniving, evil grin that taunted and teased.  
  
The doors to the council room opened once more, and in came a petite little girl, no more than 12 years old, with wavy blond hair and dark eyes. Her eyes darted around the room, like a scared little rabbit. Van could swear she looked just like a miniature Melerna, and who was following shortly behind her but Allen Schezar. His features were aging slightly, but his telltale long blond hair still remained, and he wore his uniform. Van smiled when he saw him. He was glad to see another familiar face in this room of strangers and conspirators.  
  
Van stood as Allen and the girl walked over to him. Miguel stood and joined them. Van shook Allen's hand graciously as Miguel said, "Sire, this is the Duchess Arabella of Tyran."  
  
Van looked down at the girl, who tried her best to smile. She did a tiny curtsy, lifting the skirt of her straight pink and white dress with lace on the front off of the floor. Van could see that she was very nervous. He couldn't help but smile. He took her hand and kissed it. "Greetings Lady Arabella."  
  
Arabella simply nodded, intimidated by the sheer size of him. "T-the pleasure is all m-mine, Lord Van Fanel," she stammered.  
  
Allen grinned. "She's a bit shy, Van. We had a nice little conversation in the carriage on the way here, didn't we Belle?" he asked her, looking down. She nodded, smiling sheepishly. "It seems that you two have a lot in common." He winked. Arabella's face broke out into a huge grin.  
  
Van raised an eyebrow, but didn't question him just yet. "You two must want to get to know each other," Miguel interrupted. "May I suggest taking the Duchess for a walk in the garden?"  
  
Van nodded, smiling down at the small 12-year-old. She smiled back, a little more at ease now. He then turned to Allen. "I have to talk to you later, too," he said. "I'll call for you when I return from my chat with the Duchess. 'Til then, Allen."  
  
Allen bowed and smiled. "Yes, you'll have a lot to talk about after you two get to know each other." He strode out the door, down the hallway.  
  
Van took Arabella by the hand and gently led her down numerous hallways, asking her a few simple questions as he did, like what her favorite color was, how old she was, when was her birthday, just trying to make conversation. Arabella answered each one timidly, still quite afraid of him.  
  
They arrived in the garden outside, fenced in by the palace walls. There was a single swing in the center, and Van headed toward it. Arabella sat down, while Van pushed her. For a while, they just did this in silence, not really knowing what to say to the other.  
  
After a few moments, Van stopped pushing her on the swing and came around to sit on the ground of front of her. She tilted her head to one side. "What is the matter, Lord Van? You seem very perturbed," she asked him politely. For a 12-year-old, the girl sure knew her vocabulary.  
  
Van sighed. "Duchess, I-"  
  
She stopped him right here. "Please, Lord Van, call me Belle." She grimaced. "I hate being called 'Duchess'. It makes me sound so…formal."  
  
Van smiled. "Very well, Belle. Then will you please call me simply Van?" She nodded, smiling back. "Alright. Anyway, Belle, I must admit to you…this marriage makes me…nervous."  
  
She rolled her eyes. "You're telling me," she sighed. "I'm about to marry a man who's near twice my age."  
  
Van chuckled. He was taking quite a liking to the girl, but not in the way he was supposed to, more like a brother-sister kind of relationship. "What I mean is…is that I'm in love with another. I was hoping that you wouldn't want to go through with this…" He sighed.  
  
Belle grinned broadly and she threw her arms around him. "You have no idea how it pleases me to hear you say that!" she cried. "My father…he married me off just so he could acquire your lands, your kingdom, Van. And I…" She blushed. "I think that I too feel for another. I just wouldn't be able to live with myself if this marriage went ahead, both for him and for the guilt I would feel knowing that I was helping to feed my father's greed."  
  
Van stared at her. This was marvelous! "So young and you're already in love!" He cried. But then he frowned. "What are we going to tell my council and your father?" he asked. "They both will be very angered. Damien especially." Van shuddered to think of Damien's icy gaze on him as Van tried to explain that he would not marry the Duchess of Tyran.  
  
Belle thought for a moment. "Yes, quite the pickle," she said. Van chuckled at her choice of words. She smiled at him. "I've got it. I'll have Allen take me back to Austuria with him so I can stay with my cousin Melerna. That way, you can tell your council that I would not have it and left you, and my father will still think I am in Fanelia. While I stay in Austuria, Melerna can help me formulate a more solid ploy to tell my father, while this whole marriage business is out of your hair for good. Does that sound like a plan or what?" She grinned with pride at thinking of such a wonderful plan all by herself.  
  
Van gaped at her. "That's brilliant!" He laughed. "I knew you looked like Melerna. She's your cousin?"  
  
Belle nodded happily. "I used to visit her often when I was younger. But eventually father wanted me to stay home and learn how to be a lady." She pouted. "I don't like it much."  
  
Van laughed again. "If you're anything like Melerna, you'll turn out just fine." Van picked her up with little effort and placed the Duchess of Tyran on his shoulders. "C'mon kiddo, let's get you back to the palace." Belle giggled in delight and held onto Van's head as he walked back inside.  
  
  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
"I told you that you two had a lot in common," Allen chuckled when Van talked with him later. They were walking down the hall, which held Hitomi and Van's bedrooms. "So what's going on? Where's Belle now?"  
  
"Well, I dropped Belle off at her room, where she took an immediate liking to Merle, and she says she's going back to Austuria with you to stay with Melerna," Van explained. "By the way Allen, why were you accompanying her? What were you doing near Tyran this time of year?" Van knew that Allen frequently visited Tyran on business, but usually did that in the spring of the year. It was now summer.  
  
"I stayed in Tyran late this year," he explained. "I figured I needed a bit of a break, so I stayed there for a little while, and about two weeks ago the Duke came to me and asked if I would accompany his daughter to Fanelia. So I said, 'Pass up a chance to see Van again? Never! Certainly sir!' And now here I am." He paused for a moment. "So, what are you going to do about your problem now, Van? Are you going to bring Hitomi back?"  
  
Van's step swaggered, and he caught himself on the wall. Obviously no one had told Allen about everything that had happened. "No one even mentioned to you…?"  
  
Allen blinked. "Mentioned what?"  
  
So Van sat propped against the wall, Allen next to him as he explained the whole thing. How Hitomi had just appeared again with this new girl, Akiko, how they wouldn't call off the marriage, how Hitomi had run off and somehow gotten hurt. Allen's eyes widened at every new detail of the story.  
  
"Where is she now?" he asked Van, suddenly concerned.  
  
Van stood up again and brushed himself off. "This way," he said, leading the way to the third door down. He opened it and let Allen in. The doctor was there once again, with a maid, removing Hitomi's bandages from her head.  
  
Allen just stared. It was Hitomi alright, the gash on her forehead open to the air. On the bright side, it had stopped bleeding. "It looks like we'll be able to stitch it up," the doctor said, surprised. "Sire, I must request that you and Sir Allen wait outside. We shall be done momentarily."  
  
Van smiled broadly. 'So she just may be ok,' he thought. He went to her and kissed her cheek. "I'll be back soon Hitomi. I promise." He walked outside with Allen, and waited.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Hitomi had stopped crying long ago, and was wandering through the forest. "Where am I?" she asked herself. She was confused and dazed, and really hurt that Van had just left her. It was still nighttime, and that was strange because the sun definitely should have risen by now. Hitomi pushed her way through the woods, and once again, found herself by the lakeside.  
  
"This is ridiculous!" she cried at the stars. "Why is it still dark?! Why can't I find my way out?!" It was then that she heard something in the water. Hitomi beheld beautiful woman with long black hair and huge white wings, dressed in royal clothing. 'A Draconian!' Hitomi thought. 'No, wait, not just any Draconian, she's…Van's mother, Varie!'  
  
Hitomi wandered over to her, not able to speak. "Hello Hitomi," she said, smiling kindly. "You must be wondering why you're here." Hitomi nodded, still unable to find words.  
  
Varie waded to shore, and sat down where the grass met the sand. Hitomi did too. "Your life hangs in the balance, Hitomi," she said bluntly. "Your body is in the palace, far from here. Right now, your subconscious is in the form of an astral being, something that can't be seen or heard by the conscious mind. I suppose that you remember next to nothing about last night, do you?"  
  
Last night? Hitomi was beginning to understand. She had run off into the woods…and… "I don't remember anything after running away from Van," she admitted.  
  
Varie softly touched Hitomi's forehead. The gash appeared and started bleeding. "You got hurt," she told her. "And if you don't get back to the palace soon, your body is going to die."  
  
Hitomi put her fingers to her head and felt the blood. She looked at her hand. "How?" she asked Varie.  
  
"A snake in the grass," Varie replied, staring at the sky.  
  
Hitomi raised an eyebrow. "A snake did this?" she asked, pointing to her cut. "It must've been a pretty big snake…"  
  
"He is," Varie said, still staring at the sky.  
  
"He??" Hitomi asked, getting more confused by the minute. "What do you mean?"  
  
"Time will tell, Hitomi," Varie replied. "Just know that my son Van cares deeply for you. He always has. He always will. Go to him. He misses you." Varie then closed her eyes, bowed her head and vanished.  
  
Hitomi looked around. "Th-thank you, Varie," she told the stillness around her, still a tad confused. "Thank you."  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* 


	6. Waking the Dragon

Chapter 6: Waking the Dragon  
  
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Just a little foreword people, thank you for all the great reviews, I can't tell you how much it makes me want to keep going with this, especially from magicman and Sailor Hope. ^-^ Just hope it doesn't get too bland in spots hehe. ^-^; Anyways, please enjoy! Next weekend I should have the next chapter(s) up!! Luv you all! :D  
  
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It was later evening when Van and Allen had begun talking again as they waited in the hall outside Hitomi's room for the doctor to finish up. They both turned their heads as they heard Merle scampering up. "How is she?" she asked as she skidded to a stop again, trying her best not to jump Van while he wore the royal robes. She grinned up at the Knight of Austuria. "Hey Allen. When did you get here?"  
  
"The doctor's in there stitching her cut now," Van answered, "and Allen came in accompaniment with Belle. Where is she now?"  
  
"She's asleep in her room," Merle replied. "Cute kid. Really tired from the ride though, so I left her alone."  
  
"Have you seen Akiko, Merle?" Van asked, thinking it suspicious for her to have gone missing.  
  
"Not since early this morning since before she went to bed," she hissed. "Why?"  
  
"I find it really odd that we haven't seen her around Hitomi's room all day," Van said, scratching the back of his head. "What's more is that she doesn't even know her way around the rest of the palace."  
  
Merle shrugged. "Maybe she got some directions from one of the maids or something," she supplied. Just as she said this, the doctor came out of the door. All three of them stared at him, waiting for a reply.  
  
He stared back for a moment, before he replied. "If you're wondering about her status, the bleeding has stopped, but she just may remain unconscious…" He frowned as everyone's faces fell. "But we're pretty confident she'll make progress!" Merle, Van and Allen all sighed relief in unison. The doctor smiled, bowed to Van and continued off on his way.  
  
"I'd much rather go in myself," Van told Allen and Merle. He smiled sheepishly. "If you don't mind."  
  
"Of course we don't," Merle replied, jumping onto Allen's back. "C'mon Allen, let's go wake up the Duchess! I'm in the mood to play!"  
  
Allen chuckled, Merle clinging to him. "See you later, Van." He walked off, Merle waving as she hitched a ride to Belle's room.  
  
Van grinned to himself. Maybe things were going to work out right in the end after all. Turning the knob of the door, he let out a breath, and stepped inside.  
  
Hitomi was still out like a light, though she wasn't nearly as pale as earlier. The stitches on her forehead stood out like a sore thumb, but Van was glad that she no longer needed bandages. He sat down beside her, and stroked her cheek. She'd snap out of this, he knew it. She was Hitomi, the Girl From the Mystic Moon. She could get through anything. Van stretched out beside her. He'd stay here all night. He didn't care what anyone else thought. He'd stay by her side until she was well again.  
  
He had just snuggled into the pillow beside her when the door opened again. "I thought you said you didn't mind…" he began. But looking up, he saw it was Akiko who stood in the doorway, groomed and wearing her green dress. "Oh, hello Akiko." He said.  
  
But Akiko didn't reply. She came around to the side of the bed and sat down next to him. Her eyes were empty and held no glint to them. Van sat up straight. She didn't seem like herself. "Akiko, are you all right?" he asked.  
  
Her response to him was a passionate kiss. She ran her fingers through his dark, wild hair, moving closer to him. Van pushed her aside and leapt to his feet. "Akiko, what are you doing?!" he shouted at her.  
  
Akiko grinned evilly at him. "I know you want me, Van," she said, her voice dark and mysterious. "I want you too. I've wanted you since the first time we met."  
  
"But that kiss on the hand meant nothing!!" Van cried. "It was just a greeting!! Nothing more!!"  
  
"It definitely was more than that Van, I can tell," she crooned, sitting cross-legged on the bed. "I think that if Hitomi wasn't there you would've done something more about it."  
  
"No, it most certainly was not, and if you don't mind, I'd like to spend time with Hitomi…alone," he replied harshly.  
  
"You don't love her, Van," Akiko said as she stood up and walked over to him slowly. "If you love Hitomi so much, then why didn't you call off the wedding for her?" She placed her hands on his shoulders. "Let a real woman love you, Van." Van caught her hands in his own and held her wrists.  
  
"Listen to me," he said to her, staring into those blank eyes. "I love Hitomi. The wedding to the Duchess is called off and as soon as Hitomi snaps out of this, I'm going to ask her to marry me. Nothing is going to stop me from doing this. Nothing, you hear me?"  
  
Akiko growled. She snatched her wrists out of his grasp, gathered her skirts about her and hissed, "You'll be mine, Van Fanel, you wait and see." She dashed out the door, nearly knocking Allen over as she did.  
  
Allen took one look at Van's frightened face and asked, "Do you want me to go after her?"  
  
But Van didn't know what to do about her. Akiko didn't seem like the sweet, innocent girl he had met the other day at all. What was going on? "No, let her be," Van replied, sitting back down on the bed, his back to Allen. "Please leave me alone."  
  
Allen closed the door and left Van in the dark room with Hitomi.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Hitomi was wandering through the forest again. 'What did Varie mean, "a snake in the grass"?' she thought. She had figured out so far that she was practically in a coma and her body was in the palace, and she was trying to get there. But she didn't have a sweet clue as to where she was going.  
  
She smacked herself in the forehead, something dawning on her. "If I'm not in my body, then why don't I just fly there?" she asked. She rubbed the sore spot where she had hit herself. It had stopped bleeding, and seemed to have stitched itself up somehow. She concentrated for a moment, trying to make her astral self float above the trees. 'Please work,' she prayed. When she opened her eyes again, she was elevated about the treetops, and she could see the palace in the distance.  
  
"I'm really high up," she said aloud, smiling. "Makes me wish I had wings like Van." She set her sights on the palace, and glided through the air. It was much slower than horseback, but still faster than walking and stumbling around in the dark.  
  
"Hold on Van," she whispered. "I'm coming."  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
  
  
Van jumped. He had heard something, but there was no one else in the room, save for Hitomi. He looked at her in a sense of wonderment. 'Are you trying to tell me something?' he thought. He stretched out beside her again as he had been before Akiko came in. Van shivered. Something was definitely wrong with her. There was a familiar coldness to her eyes that he just couldn't place…  
  
Just then, Allen burst into the room with Merle close on his heels. "Van! Damien disappeared, and he took Akiko with him!!" he cried.  
  
Van bounded to his feet. "What?! Where is he going?? Do you know???"  
  
Allen shook his head. "I have no idea! One of the soldiers told me that he was heading due north from here!"  
  
"You can be sure he's up to no good!!" Merle chimed in.  
  
"If we leave now I'm sure we could catch up to them on horseback by nightfall!" Allen replied.  
  
"No," Van said calmly. "I have a much better idea." He gently pulled the pendant over his head, placed it in Hitomi's palm and closed her hand over it. Allen watched, confused by both Van's words and his actions.  
  
"I'll be back soon, Hitomi. Don't worry about me when you wake up, I'll be just fine." He kissed her forehead softly, then turned to Allen. "Let's go."  
  
"Oh, be careful, Lord Van!!" Merle cried, wrapping her arms around his waist. Van smiled down at Merle and patted her head.  
  
"You just take care of Hitomi for me, ok Merle?" he said. She nodded, swallowing a lump in her throat. She let go of him and perched herself on the edge of the bed.  
  
Both Allen and Van bolted out the door, but Van made a detour down to his room. "Van, what on Gaea are you doing?! We have to get going!!" Allen yelled.  
  
But Van didn't reply as he took a small wooden chest from a compartment in the floor under his bed. He laid the box on the smooth covers and opened it. Gleaming pink in the sunlight, encased in velvet was the drag-energist.  
  
Allen's jaw dropped. "Van, you can't seriously be thinking –" he started.  
  
"I am," Van cut in. "Something tells me we're going to need it." He grabbed it out of its box and took off out the door again, Allen straggling behind to keep up, protesting all the way.  
  
"Van!! You don't possibly think that Escaflowne will be needed! Damien couldn't be up to something so drastic, could he??!" he shouted as they both raced along.  
  
"Something's not right, Allen!" Van cried back. "There's an emptiness in Akiko's eyes that I just couldn't understand!! She's not the same woman I met the other day, and I think Damien is somehow behind it!!" As he yelled these words, the energist in Van's fist started to glow brightly.  
  
They dashed past many confused servants, and finally made it to the shrine. Allen tried one last time to convince Van otherwise. "Van, you remember what happened 7 years ago with the war?? You could get yourself killed!!" Allen screamed at him as they ran through the huge door.  
  
But Van wasn't listening. He stood in the middle of the shrine, holding the energist in the air. He didn't need to utter a sound before Escaflowne was lowered from the rock in the ceiling, magnificent as the day it had been put to rest. As it hit the floor with a loud "BOOM" Van leapt up onto the huge gymeloth and held the energist in front of the corresponding jewel- like compartment where Escaflowne's heartbeat would soon be. The front of it seemed to liquefy as Van pushed his hand with the energist through, glowing the whole while. Van grinned almost like a madman.  
  
"Van!!!" Allen cried. But it was too late. The legendary dragon armor Escaflowne was already disturbed from its sleep and ready for action. Van retrieved his hand and sprung into the cockpit.  
  
Sinking into it like it was a second skin, Van managed the controls, and maneuvered Escaflowne over towards Allen. It held out a hand for him to step on. "Van, I hope you know what you're getting us into!!" Allen yelled, and jumped onto the large hand.  
  
Escaflowne strode outside into the twilight. With Allen in hand, the gymeloth twisted and turned to transform into the mighty dragon, with Van at the controls. "Hold on tight, Allen!!" he shouted. Allen grasped onto Escaflowne and with a tug and a grind of machinery, the dragon was airborne.  
  
Allen smirked as they took off to the north. "If I had known there was going to be a fight today I would've brought mine!!"  
  
Van smiled. "Nice to know you're behind me, Allen!!" he replied.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Hitomi sat straight up in her bed. Merle screeched and stumbled off her perch. "HITOMI!!!" Merle cried happily, leaping off the floor and wrapping her arms around her. "We thought for sure we were gonna lose you!!!"  
  
Hitomi held her head in pain. "Ow…Merle, could you not yell so loud please?" she pleaded.  
  
"Oh, sorry," Merle whispered. "How is your head, anyway? Do you remember what happened?"  
  
Hitomi shook her head gently. "I…I don't remember hitting my head on anything…" she replied. "And I'm sure I'll be fine in a few days." She looked around the room. "Where's Van? And Akiko??"  
  
Merle frowned. "I hate having to be the one to tell you this Hitomi, but Damien took off with your friend," she said. She would normally be grinning to say it, but this was certainly no laughing matter. "Lord Van's gone after him. He seemed determined to try and save her."  
  
Hitomi winced. But something inside her head reassured her. 'Just know that my son Van cares deeply for you. He always has. He always will….' Hitomi clenched her fists lightly, when she realized something was in her left. She opened her hand to reveal the pendant glimmering at her from her palm.  
  
Hitomi fought back tears as she drew the chain over her head. She pulled the covers off of her and sat on the edge of the bed.  
  
"Hitomi?" Merle asked, a realization dawning on her. "You couldn't possibly be thinking…"  
  
Hitomi stood up, hugging the pendant to her chest in her fist. "I need a new dress, Merle. Can you fetch the handmaidens for me please?"  
  
"Hitomi, you can't go after him!!" Merle cried. "You're not well!!"  
  
"Merle," Hitomi said quietly, "it's irrelevant whether I want to go or not, but as long as Van is operating Escaflowne, the energist and the pendant are going to react and bring us together no matter what the situation. Don't you see?"  
  
Merle bit her bottom lip. "I'll be right back, Hitomi!!" She scampered out the door.  
  
Hitomi sauntered over to the window. "I'm not going to lose him again," she told the pink horizon, watching as the sun slowly dipped lower and lower behind the hills. "I just can't." 


End file.
